LOCKS of Love: Christi Idavoy, 29, from New York, recently donated her long locks to make wigs for those who have lost their hair due to treatment for cancer and other illnesses. The Beauty Club salon in Escazú, west of San José, is offering hair cuts for half price during March to those who wish to donate their hair. The nonprofit Helping Hands is coordinating the effort; for more information, call Helping Hands organizer Evangeline Mathura at 215-3289 or the Beauty Club at 288-0059.

Effective yesterday, drivers along the Próspero Fernández Highway leading from San José to the western suburb of Escazú need not pay a toll between 7:30 - 9:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, according to the daily La Nación.

Play Opening
“Límite de Velocidad ” (“Speed Limit”), a drama and comedy about traffic accidents opens tonight and runs through March 18, Fridays through Sundays, 8 p.m., Teatro 1887, National Culture Center (CENAC), San José. Info: 257-5524.

Chinese Food Workshop
6 p.m.-9 p.m., Estudio Gastrónomico Mucho Gusto, Barrio Dent, east of San José. Info: 234-0840.

Música en las Gradas (Music on the Steps)
Escats performing, 11 a.m., Gold Museum amphitheater, underneath Culture Plaza, San José. 

“Strawberries in January”
A romantic comedy in English with guest director David King, through March 11, Friday through Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Sunday 2:30 p.m., Blanche Brown Theatre, Bello Horizonte, Escazú, west of San José. Info: 355-1623, www.littletheatregroup.org.

IV Internacional Women's Day Race
For women only, 2-kilometer walk from Casa Presidencial en Zapote to Clínica Carlos Durán, starts at 8:30 p.m.; Also 5-km. race from the west side of Curridabat Municipality, east of San José, to Clínica Carlos Duran at 9 a.m. Free registration at Tiendas Runners in Pavas and Curridabat and Deportes Tibás. 872-3851, mesolano@racsa.co.cr

Annual Canine Festival
All breeds welcome, contests, raffles, prizes, costumes, flea market, 9 a.m., Plaza Roosevelt, San Pedro, east of San José. Info: 255-3757.

By Katherine Stanley
Tico Times Staff | kstanley@ticotimes.net

The leaders of the five parties in the Legislative Assembly that support a free-trade pact with the United States said yesterday that a recent decision by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV) will allow them to not only vote on the agreement sooner, but also become more productive overall.

Guyon Massey, the only legislator from the National Restoration Party and one of the five leaders who spoke at a press conference at the assembly, called the decision “a triumph for democracy.” The justices' ruling, released late Wednesday, states that legislators can apply a fast-track reform to international accords such as the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA). The reform would limit discussion of CAFTA to approximately seven weeks or less, depending on how often legislators meet.

Legislators from the opposition Citizen Action Party (PAC) had asked the court to evaluate the fast-track procedure, claiming it would be unconstitutional to apply it to CAFTA. Although they lost that battle, the justices did rule that legislators had violated assembly procedures when debating the reforms, and that the fast-track measure must return to commission so dissenting opinions can be heard.

This will take approximately two weeks from start to finish, said Mayi Antillón, faction head for the leading National Liberation Party (PLN).

“The important thing now is to fix that error,” she said, expressing her satisfaction with the court's decision.

PAC faction head Elizabeth Fonseca told The Tico Times she is pleased with that aspect of the decision, since it supports opposition legislators' right to make their opinions heard.

Lorena Vásquez, of the Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC), emphasized that the ruling doesn't just affect CAFTA, but the assembly's long-term effectiveness. Because it supports assembly leaders' rights to set voting deadlines, the Sala IV decision could make the famously slow legislature a bit quicker to reach a vote on key issues, she said.

For more on this story, click here to read the article on CAFTA's fast-track approval in today's edition of The Tico Times.

The first members of the newly formed San José Security Council, a group aimed at coordinating public institutions to make for a safer city, were sworn in during a ceremony yesterday at the San José Municipality, according to a statement from Casa Presidencial.

Among those present at the event were San José Mayor Johnny Araya, Public Security Minister Fernando Berrocal, Finance Minister Guillermo Zúñiga and Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) Director Jorge Rojas. They represented their respective organizations that will make up the council, which also includes representatives from the National Police, General Immigration Administration and Drug Control Police.

The council's goal is to “assure citizens greater success in the fight against crime, vandalism, delinquency, corruption, drug use and trafficking, organized crime, labor exploitation, sex with minors and family violence,” among other crimes, the statement said.

“There is a serious problem with security in San José that threatens not only citizens who live here and visit, but also threatens the competitiveness of this city as an urban space,” Araya said.

Berrocal concurred that the city's public security is a priority, calling the council's creation a concrete action to improve it.

“In public security... what people want are results, not words. Through this agreement with the Municipality of San José, we will work on one of the most conflicted areas of the country... the urban center of our capital city,” he said, adding that the idea is to create these councils in 81 municipalities around the country.

-Tico Times

Effective yesterday, drivers along the Próspero Fernández Highway leading from San José to the western suburb of Escazú need not pay a toll between 7:30 - 9:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, according to the daily La Nación.

The Roadway Safety Council (CONSEVI) adopted this measure to ease the traffic congestion this road usually sees in the mornings. The toll booths will continue to charge drivers on Saturdays and Sundays, when traffic is lighter.

Public Works and Transport Minister Karla González said free toll booths during the week will hopefully allow drivers to get to their morning destinations faster, as well as save gas and reduce environmental damage caused by stop-and-go traffic.